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Cricket Players'If Archer was playing and Wood was fit, Ollie would be back playing the clubbies': Michael Clarke burns Robinson
Ollie Robinson has been at the receiving end of seemingly endless waves of criticism from Australians after his comments during and after the first Ashes Test
The battle between Ollie Robinson and the Australian media has become a sidepiece to the Ashes this summer, with the English pace bowler earning a lot of attention due to his comments on and off the field during the first Test at Edgbaston last week. His send-off of Usman Khawaja in the first Test and his comments to the press after led to a lot of criticism.
Most recent to join in on this wave of criticism against Robinson is former captain of the Australian team Michael Clarke. Speaking on a show called Big Sports Breakfast, Clarke was very straightforward and blunt with his thoughts on the matter.
“He needs to shoosh,” said Clarke. “If England were fully fit you wouldn’t even get a game, Ollie. If Jofra Archer was playing, or if Mark Wood had been playing and was fully fit, old mate — I don’t know what town he plays for — he’d be back playing clubbies.”
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Clarke’s harsh comments come on the back of Matthew Hayden’s scathing words about Robinson. While the English pacer has made a spot his own in the Test lineup over the last two years, he clearly hasn’t earned the respect of the Australian camp like some of his compatriots have.
“I actually don’t know what he’s doing. If James Anderson is saying all this, he’s got street cred,” continued Clarke. “He’s played 180 Test matches, he’s got a lot of wickets. This dude has been around for five minutes. He needs to concentrate on taking wickets .. Ollie, just keep taking five-fors and then you can say what you like.”
Robinson does average 21 at the Test level, with impressive performances against India and Pakistan, and has 71 scalps to his name. He was dogged during the first Test as well, providing important wickets for the English, with Anderson looking short of his best.
Clarke was also critical of the manner in which the English team and media is looking at the first Test, a thrilling and gripping encounter which could have gone either way on day 5, but ended with an Australian win. Clarke holds the opinion that England shouldn’t treat the loss as any sort of positive, expressing his surprise at England not sharing the same mentality regarding a lost Ashes Test.
“It felt like a win when you lost? That’s a different feeling to what I ever remember when we lost,” said the former Australian skipper. Clarke has overseen some big Australian wins, including the 2015 ODI World Cup, as well as the massive 5-0 whitewash in the 2013-14 Ashes.
Robinson’s response to all these comments surrounding his game will become an important and interesting part of watching the rest of the series. The two teams head to London to play the second Test at Lord’s, and Robinson will certainly continue to be a topic of conversation throughout.
